Things to do in Madrid

Local guide

About Madrid

Madrid is the capital of Spain and of the Comunidad de Madrid, the most populous municipality in the country and the second most populous city in the European Union. Much of its fame comes from its museums, starting with the Museo del Prado. The Museo Reina Sofía, devoted to 20th-century and contemporary art, occupies the former Hospital General, an 18th-century neoclassical building near Atocha station.

The Retiro park is a historic garden with features from the 17th century to the present day, including the monument to Alfonso XII and the Palacio de Cristal. The Palacio Real (Royal Palace), the King's official residence although the royal family does not live there, covers 135,000 square metres and has 3,418 rooms; today it is used for state ceremonies.

Habsburg Madrid has its heart in the Plaza Mayor, 300 metres from the Puerta del Sol, whose origins go back to the 16th century, when the market of the so-called Plaza del Arrabal was held on this spot. And there are surprises you would not expect in a European capital: the Temple of Debod, an ancient Egyptian building, stands next to the Parque del Oeste, on the height where the Cuartel de la Montaña barracks once stood.

On Sunday and public holiday mornings, the Rastro fills Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores and the streets around it, in the Embajadores district, with stalls, as it has done since around 1740. In May the city celebrates its patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, whose day is 15 May, and in November the Virgen de la Almudena, patron saint of the archdiocese of Madrid.

Getting there is easy: metro line 8 links Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport with Nuevos Ministerios, and Cercanías line C1 connects it with Chamartín, Atocha and Príncipe Pío.

Things to do

Must-see places

1. Museo Nacional del Prado: the national art gallery, on the Paseo del Prado.
2. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía: 20th-century and contemporary art in the former Hospital General, near Atocha.
3. Parque del Retiro: historic garden with the monument to Alfonso XII and the Palacio de Cristal.
4. Palacio Real de Madrid: the King's official residence, 135,000 m² and 3,418 rooms, used for state ceremonies.
5. Plaza Mayor: square with origins in the 16th century, 300 metres from the Puerta del Sol.
6. Templo de Debod: ancient Egyptian building next to the Parque del Oeste.
7. El Rastro: open-air market on Sundays and public holidays in Embajadores, recorded since 1740.